[J-RO]

When I picked up my wife's 2025 X1 28i I checked the glovebox and noticed no owners manual. I was told by the salesperson that as of 2025 BMW stopped providing a physical owners manual since it can be pulled up on Idrive. So am I supposed to drive my car into my bedroom at night to read the manual before I go to sleep?

[Gaffer_H]

Originally Posted by J-RO

When I picked up my wife's 2025 X1 28i I checked the glovebox and noticed no owners manual. I was told by the salesperson that as of 2025 BMW stopped providing a physical owners manual since it can be pulled up on Idrive. So am I supposed to drive my car into my bedroom at night to read the manual before I go to sleep?

Come on, you don’t expect us to believe that you read a car manual at bed time do you?

Who reads the manual anyway 🤦

[J-RO]

Originally Posted by Gaffer_H

Come on, you don’t expect us to believe that you read a car manual at bed time do you?

Who reads the manual anyway 🤦

When I first purchase any new car I do read the manual. Maybe that’s just me.

[MrPeabodyPA]

Originally Posted by J-RO

When I first purchase any new car I do read the manual. Maybe that’s just me.

You can download the manual as a PDF and read it in bed on your tablet or phone. I am also one of those people who reads the owner's manual cover to cover, even before the car arrives.

[markronnie]

I Read the on line manual as soon as I got the Vin# when my 24 x1 28i went into production early November 2023. I wanted to learn as much as I could even before I took delivery. And when I picked up the vehicle I re-read the printed one that came in the vehicle.
Maybe I’m old school BUT YES I READ MANUALS & THINK ITS A CRIME FOR MANUFACTURERS NOT TO SUPPLY ONE. Essentially companies like BMW that continue to take away feature & functions that were once there & were paid for.

They should not be able to get away with just updating online manuals when they take away things

[SeaSkiAndMe]

The car I bought prior to my 2023 BMW X1 also had no owner's manual. I found a .PDF of it online, printed it double-sided, carefully cut the pages to be the correct size, and bound it with extra-thick staples and some bindery clips.

Manufacturers should not expect consumers to undertake craft projects in order to have a reference document on their vehicle!

[tex2670]

Yeah I was really mad when my Blackberry didn't come with an instruction manual!

LOL - I appreciate those who do in fact read the manual, but you are in a small minority. The vast number of people on owner forums who ask basic questions that could be answered easily by referring to a searchable pdf online manual makes up a large number of threads....

[rounderman]

there is also a specific app for the manual and it is searchable. I still occasionally look at it 5 years later "BMW Drivers Guide"

[markronnie]

Originally Posted by rounderman

there is also a specific app for the manual and it is searchable. I still occasionally look at it 5 years later "BMW Drivers Guide"

Yes the on line manual is searchable BUT the point I’m making is unless you have the printed manual which came with the vehicle, you will NEVER know what OTA changes had been made to computer system that took away functions/features & or things that were omitted from your build which were in the one you test drove.

[saltydog]

Yeah I was shocked when I didn't see the manual in the glovebox. Makes for great bathroom reading. Most (non car) manuals I'm ok with looking on online, but the car is different.

[paulockenden]

Most things these days don’t come with a paper manual. A computer, for example, is probably just if not more difficult to operate than a car, but they haven’t been supplied with paper manuals for decades now. Same with phones, TVs, well - just about anything really.

As others have said it’s a cost cutting measure, like the glove box light and the data on the USB C sockets. But I think I’ll miss the paper manual less than both of those.

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by markronnie

Yes the on line manual is searchable BUT the point I’m making is unless you have the printed manual which came with the vehicle, you will NEVER know what OTA changes had been made to computer system that took away functions/features & or things that were omitted from your build which were in the one you test drove.

LOL - a printed manual will not tell you this either. It's written for all vehicles. It will say "(if equipped)" for certain features; it won't tell you that your car has or doesn't have a feature.

[jimma_uk]

My wife recently got a new Toyota, that had no manual either. Neither did my mums Ford or my Dads Volvo. Paper manuals are just not a thing anymore.

With the BMW Guide app and the iDrive having an electronic version of the manual, I can't see the need for wasting lots of paper on something that 95% of the time doesn't get used.

[Hartside]

I didn’t get a manual for my 2021 128ti and I don’t think I got one for my 2017 VW Tiguan. Been happening for years

[MMandov]

"There's an app for that" as they say, plus a link from MyBMW app. TBH I've found many options there that I could have never found on my own in this car, especially related driving and parking assistants, mirror folding, changing the get-out direction from parking with the blinker and so on. Even the Park Assist Pro features that I currently can't upgrade to, as my car was produced 3 months earlier

[MartinInKansas]

Yes, I was disappointed my new 2025 x1 xDrive28i did not come with a paper manual.

I’m going to contact the dealership parts department to no see if I can order one.

Yes, I know I can read the electronic version or the guide version, but I want paper!

[paulockenden]

Knowing BMW I’m surprised it isn’t offered as a chargeable option in the configurator.

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by MartinInKansas

Yes, I was disappointed my new 2025 x1 xDrive28i did not come with a paper manual.

I’m going to contact the dealership parts department to no see if I can order one.

Yes, I know I can read the electronic version or the guide version, but I want paper!

Did you even try a Google search? What if you just go here and enter your VIN and download the pdf:

https://www.bmwusa.com/owners-manuals.html

[Baldilocks73]

Print out the .PDF.